Fighting the Past
by GoDale13
Summary: COMPLETE! The team's been split up but thats about to end. What happens when the four each find evidence that proves there's more to the past events than Vance knows they know. TIVA eventually Bad summary I know.
1. 6 months on the USS Ronald Reagon

Here's my next story. I hope ya'll like it. I'm not to crazy about the title, but it was the best one that I could come up with right now. If ya'll have any ideas don't be afraid to tell me!!

"_Agent DiNozzo, you will be agent afloat on the USS Ronald Reagan." _Tony jerked awake to the sound of his alarm clack blaring. It had been six months since Tony had heard those words uttered, yet they haunted him every night. Six months since Tony had been in Washington D.C. Six months of dull nothingness. Six months of the same boring movie for a week. He hated to admit it, but he had actually started to enjoy reading. McGee finally published his second novel, _Rock Hollow_, and Tony was in the process of reading it through for the tenth time. This was more to remind him of his friends than the plot line.

Jumping into the shower, Tony prepared for another day of boring paperwork. His only highlight for the six months afloat was the bust of the illegal drug ring in the barracks, and that ended with the main suspect getting a slap on the wrist.

"Hey DiNozzo, you got a call from stateside," George, Tony's butthole of a boss said. "Thought you had no contacts on land."

"Only those you don't want to meet," Tony mumbled, turning towards the phone. "DiNozzo."

"Tony! Long time no see! Amy and I have been trying to get a hold of you. We just got pictures made of Tommy and Lisa DiNardo's kids and wanted to send them to you. Do you still have your old email?" McGee said over the phone.

"Yeah, Thom," Tony said, realizing the play on names. "My email is still good. I thought Tommy and Lisa broke up though." Six months and not one word from Ziva. Sure Tony has talked to Abby and McGee, but no one had heard from Ziva since she stepped onto the plane for Israel.

"Dad called the other day and said that there was a possibility that they could be moving back to Washington. Just depends on a few things."

"That's great to hear. Email me the pictures of those rascals. I haven't seen them in forever," Tony said, smiling. If Gibbs thinks he could get the team back together, than Tony was willing to suffer a bit longer.

"Didn't figure you to be the kind for a small chit-chat about kids," George huffed when Tony hung up the phone.

"Only when it's my favorite niece and nephew," Tony smirked. 'And if it will get me off this damn bat and away from you,' he thought to himself.

After to supper, Tony was able to check his emails with no one around. George had been on his tail all day just because Tony solved a case that he had been unable to. When Tony opened the email from 'Amy Sutton,' Tony recognized the attachment as a cleverly disguised cold case that the team had been trying to solve before they were disbanded.

"_We believe that your brother-in-law, Ari, has gone on a trip to Israel. We have not heard from him since he left the airport in London. Dad's afraid that the Jewish forces will be after him because of his past in the Muslim radicals. Lisa has been trying to call everyone she can think of, but being a stay-at-home mother doesn't help,"_ Tony read to himself.

"What are you talking about, Abs?" Tony asked the computer.

"_Anywho, enough of the drama, here's the pictures of the kids. They've been quite a lot of the kids. They've been quite a lot of fun to be around. In fact, one of them actually tried to stand up to Dad the other day and ended up huddling in a corner. Love you, Amy."_

The pictures were candids of the new Probies that had taken Tony, Ziva, and McGee's place. "These dweebs make McGee look sophisticated. How does Gibbs handle it?" Tony wondered to himself. He sat there for a while longer, lost in his thoughts before he was interrupted by a knock on his door. "Come in," he called.

"DiNozzo, Director Vance just called and said to expect a NCIS team out here in the morning. Apparently he thinks we're incapable of handling Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell's UA case," George told Tony bitterly. Sure George respected Vance and thought he was better than Jenny Shephard, but he still did not like his cases being taken away from him.

"Did they say why?" Tony asked, his heart skipping a beat. Maybe it was Gibbs' team.

"Won't say. I expect you to greet the team and show them their quarters. I do not wish to talk to Agent Gibbs unless absolutely necessary. I'm sure you know how to act, seeing as how you worked in the same building as the Jarhead asshole."

"Yes, sir. He was quite notorious," Tony said, resisting the urge to laugh.

--

Please tell me what you think about this!! I hope you liked it. These first couple chapters are setting up for the major chapters coming. Please review and tell me what you think.


	2. Gibbs' Arrival

Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to update. I'm trying to get all of my stuff ready to move back into the dorms Saturday. Not to mention the fact that the Olympics are ADDICTING! I've watched it almost every night, and have cheered Michael Phelps the whole way!! FIVE GOLD, FIVE WORLD RECORDS, and THREE TO GO!!

Anywho, here's the story!!

--

Tony stood on the deck watching as the aircraft landed carrying Gibbs and his new team. Hurrying over to the plane, Tony greeted the passengers. "Hello, Boss. Welcome to my humble abode. Sorry it's so noisy; we're actually doing some renovations… Ouch, Sorry, Boss," Tony said after receiving a long awaited slap to the back of the head. "Missed you, too," Tony added and Gibbs could not help but to crack a smile.

"Anti-boss told me to let you use my office and not to bother him unless absolutely necessary. I don't think he likes you very much." Tony had coined the phrase "Anti-boss" not long after coming onto the naval vessel, and had used it ever since.

"You wouldn't either if I was the one who got you transferred afloat after you made us lose a case by having an affair with the witness," Gibbs explained.

"Youch, not good," Tony said, escorting the group to his office.

**Tony's Office**

"So, what we got, Boss?" Tony asked.

"I'm not your boss anymore, Tony," Gibbs sighed. "Did you get Abby's email?"

"Yeah. Didn't really make sense though."

"Jones, you and Mitchell go find out bunks," Gibbs ordered and the two hurried out of the room. "Ziva contacted me under the alias Lisa DiNardo," Gibbs smirked when he saw the twinkle in Tony's eye. "She had been sent under cover to infiltrate a Hamas Terror cell in Southern Israel. Her contacts gave her the information about two Navy sailors who were involved with the group. They were planning to bomb a carrier. However, before Ziva could get names, Midshipmen Mitchell and Coley went UA."

"Why doesn't Vance want you guys working the Ahmed case?" Tony asked.

"Says it isn't a hot case right now and that we need to use our resources elsewhere. Listen, Jen left me a file of information that she had dug up on the case. I'm the only one who has this file, so the trick is figuring out how to make it work in our favor. Apparently Vance was in charge of a group in the Middle East that was to find the cell and bring it down. Instead, Vance let his ego get the best of him and used his contacts to leak information about Jenny's whereabouts to the Svetlana. That's how they found her. All we have to find is the link between Vance and those that killed Jenny," Gibbs explained.

"No way," was all Tony could say. His mind was reeling from the information.

"McGee has been trying to find where Ziva is again, but we lost her."

"You lost her?" Tony asked, his voice raising an octave.

"She knows what she's going, Tony," Gibbs said, attempting to calm Tony down. "The last message we received was encrypted for you." Gibbs said, holding out a piece of paper. "None of us could understand it."

Tony took the paper out of Gibbs' hand.

_"Dear Tommy, I hope you receive this in time. Father was not happy when I showed up without you. He told me that he wanted to meet you. Do you remember the last movie we watched together? I said it was my favorite. Well, I feel like that couple, but we're going to play a little bit of Sean Connery so I hope you are ready. When I heard about your two brothers disappearing, I became worried about you. I can only imagine the stress it is causing on the whole family. Not to mention the fact that you father told me the squids were causing you a little trouble. Do not worry, my hairy little butt, the time will come soon."_

"What does she mean, DiNozzo?"

"On our last night in D.C. I rented Mr. and Mrs. Smith for us to watch. Being a crazy ninja chick, Ziva loved every bit of it. As for her father being mad, I don't fall for that. There is no way he would have expected me to show up with her. Since when did Ziva know the Marine nickname for the Navy?" Tony asked Gibbs.

"She's telling us where she is," Gibbs told more to himself than Tony. "Coley and Mitchell went UA in Kuwait. There's a Marine and Navy base near Kuwait City. I need you to go to the base and see what you can find out. Vance won't let me leave the boat, but he never mentioned anything about you," Gibbs smirked. "Go under the pretense of finding information about the two sailors. While you're onshore, see what you can find out about Ziva, but, whatever you do, do not blow her cover," Gibbs ordered the young man. He knew that Tony would stop at nothing to find his former partner, but Gibbs knew how important it was to keep Ziva safe.

**Flight Deck**

"Hey, DiNozzo, who gave you permission to leave the ship?" Agent George yelled after Tony.

"The Captain," Tony answered. "We got a lead on the missing sailors; they were last seen in Kuwait City with a group of locals. I'm flying out to see what I can come up with," he lied smoothly.

"Alright, but report back as soon as you find something," George said. "Don't go trying to take all the credit," he added, walking away.

"Asshole," Tony thought to himself as he headed towards the helicopter awaiting his arrival.

--

Hope you enjoyed it, it ain't the best, but I promise to get it flowing soon. I wrote this story in parts, so I'm trying to piece all the parts together and make it understandable! Please Review and tell me what you think!! Thanks!! Tata


	3. partners

Thanks everyone for reading this story! I hope ya'll enjoy it!! Here's the next chapter for ya!

--

Tony walked down a dusty street in a just as dusty coastal town just outside of the main district of Kuwait City. He had no idea where to find the little bar the Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell had last been spotted. Tony stopped in his tracks at the corner of the block.

"I've been here before," Tony groaned. "Are you telling me I've been going in circles for the last two hours?!" he mumbled to himself. Pulling out the map for the third time, Tony tried to figure out where he was. Just then he heard a commotion from the alleyway just behind him. Walking towards it, Tony saw a Muslim-dressed woman throw a guy half her size to the ground unconscious.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Tony asked, cautiously walking down the alley towards her.

"Tony?" the woman asked in a voice that stopped Tony in his tracks.

"Ziva?" Tony replied in the same surprised voice.

Shaking off her shock, Ziva quickly grabbed Tony's hand and took off down the alley. "We have to get out of here," she told him hurriedly.

At the end of the alley, Ziva slowly poked her heard around the corner, but immediately hide again. "Go in that door," she whispered, nodding to the other side of Tony.

The room on the other side of the door was no bigger than the closet in Tony's apartment, Tony noted as Ziva shut the door behind them. The space was so small that Ziva's back was up against Tony's chest.

"What's going on Ziva?" Tony asked, as Ziva cracked the door to look outside.

"That man is Ahmed al-Aghlab; he was one of the guys involved in the supposed kidnapping of your sailors. I have been trying to get him to tell me information, but somehow he figured out that I was Mossad. He took me here to kill me. We need to find a way out of here and to your car," Ziva explained quietly

"Zee-vah, my car is in Gibbs' garage. It won't do us any good. I'm staying on the USS Patrick Henry while I'm here, and I hitched a ride on a camel just to get here," Tony said.

"You cannot go back there, Tony. They're looking for you," Ziva said, not looking at Tony. She'd been in this wretched town for almost two months, following every lead she possibly could, yet unable to infiltrate deeper than she was. Her father had not meant for her to survive this long, but Ziva was determined. For once in her life, she had something to live for: the hope of going back to NCIS. She had forced her father to allow her to go back to NCIS after three completed missions. As soon as Ziva finished this mission, she would get to go back to Washington.

"How do we get out of here?" Tony asked. He knew there was more to the situation, but figured it could wait for a little longer.

"We can head back to my house in Kuwait City. They never found out I had a house there. They thought I lived on the base," Ziva explained. If they did not get out of this cramped room fast, Ziva was sure she was going to lose her mind. Not seeing Tony for six months and suddenly having to be this close to him was not good for Ziva. "Come on," she said, opening the door and stepping into the sunlight.

**Ziva's House**

The sun had already set by the time the two made it to Ziva's so-called house. To Tony, it looked more like a hole in the wall.

"You know more than you are telling me, Zee-vah," Tony said, sitting on a chair in the room. Ziva remained silent while she took her headdress off to allow her to move better round the room.

"Midshipman Coley is the only one involved with the Hamas cell. Mitchell just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ziva explained, sweeping off a loose board in the far corner. "There is more to this than just blowing up a ship, Tony. This cell had ties with the Russian group that Gibbs and Jenny were sent to kill." Lifting up the floorboard, Ziva retrieved a pile of folders and her laptop.

"Abs sent me an email the other day with a bunch of coded stuff in it. Some of it made no sense to me. Maybe you can read it," Tony said, taking to computer from Ziva.

"'_We believe that your brother-in-law, Ari, has gone on a trip to Israel. We have not heard from him since he left the airport in London. Dad's afraid that the Jewish forces will be after him because of his past in the Muslim radicals. Lisa has been trying to call everyone she can think of, but being a stay-at-home mother doesn't help'" _Ziva read over Tony's shoulder."I flew out from London on my way to Israel. It is true that Mossad is after Midshipman Coley, and I am the one Director David assigned," she explained.

"I understand that part, but why did she use Ari's name and call him my brother-in-law?"

"Tony, Hamas is looking for you, because they think you are my husband," Ziva sighed. She had not wanted to tell him that, but there was no choice. "They aren't the only ones. My father believes we are married as well."

"Zee-vah, why does the whole world think we are married when I haven't even talked to you in six months?" Tony asked.

She could not help but let out a sigh. Did the idea of being married to her bother him that much? "My father has been spying on me ever since I came to America. His agents told him six months ago that we eloped in Los Angeles. I tried to explain the truth, but he was too hard headed. It turned out to work to my advantage, though. He promised to send me back to NCIS permanently if I successfully completed three missions," she explained.

"What number is this?" Tony asked gravely. Ziva had told him the last night together that _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_ was true in parts. Not long after going back to Mossad, her father would see the changes in her and send her on suicide missions to alleviate the risks of her weaknesses.

"Third," Ziva said. From her voice alone, Tony could tell she had been right that night.

"Why does your father want you dead?" Tony blurted out. "You would think he would want his only child to live."

"He disowned me when I agreed to this deal. Told me that I had been corroded by the immoral American culture," she explained, sitting on the chair across from Tony. "Or else I would not have married an Italian playboy," she added, smirking at Tony's reaction.

"Corrupted, "he corrected her. "And I'm not a playboy. However, we are not married, thus he must mean some other Italian who I do not know," Tony teased, earning a glare from Ziva. "Seriously though, we have to figure out who is leaking our whereabouts to these goons and find our way back to the safety of D. C."

"How did your sailors end up in Kuwait? I thought the Reagan was still in LA."

"You really have been out if it, eh?" We've been in the Gulf for the past five months. I was not supposed to leave the ship, but Vance ordered Gibbs to remain on ship, and my superior refused to get involved with the case," Tony told her.

"Something is not adding up," Ziva said. "Why would the Director of NCIS send a team out to investigate on ship, when the incident happened on dry land?"

"That's what Gibbs said. Jenny gave him a file of information about the Ahmed cold case we were working on. He didn't tell me much, just that if used right it could bring the team back. Wait, that must have been the attachment that I couldn't figure out," Tony said and Ziva walked over. "The case files Abby sent are not the ones we were working on. These are in Hebrew and English."

"These must be the ones that Jen had," Ziva said, and began to translate it for Tony. "Ahmed was the second in command of a terrorist cell in France twelve years ago, before moving to the Middle East. An NCIS team in San Diego was ordered to track the cell down. Vance was in charge of the team."

"I thought he never had his own team?" Tony asked.

"His records say he never did," Ziva replied, sensing the closeness of the two. She had leaned over his shoulder to read the screen, and was not only centimeters away. "Did Gibbs include Vance's records?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tony managed to say. He was having a hard time concentrating with Ziva so close. He could feel her breath tickle his ear each time she talked and he could feel her body head against his back.

"Midshipman Coley is…" Tony began

"Vance's stepson," Ziva finished. "That's how information is being leaked.

"My gut's telling me there's more," Tony said. "Is there a list of the NCIS team working with Vance?" man, he hated not being able to read this stuff, but it did have its perks: Ziva leaning up against him.

"Leon Vance, team leader, George Vanderholt, senior field agent, Thomas Marlow, and Lucas Lawrence."

"George Vanderholt? You sure?" Tony asked, turning his head to look at Ziva who nodded. "That's my boss on the Reagan. I knew I didn't trust him."

"We need to tell Gibbs, but first we have to find a phone," Ziva said, standing back and Tony immediately missed her closeness.

"He gave me a Satellite phone to use," Tony said, pulling the phone out.

**Abby's Lab**

"Abby, have you heard from DiNozzo or David yet?" Gibbs asked over the video phone.

"No, it's been three hours, Gibbs. I tried calling him, but it never would go through. What if they got hurt or something? We can't let them get hurt. Gibbs, you have to find them and bring them back to D.C.," Abby rambled in her infamous way.

"See if you can track down the phone I gave DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "Do whatever you and McGee do and find them!" he barked, ending the phone call.

--

Please read and tell me what you think! Thanks again!


	4. Finding the Lost

Thanks for reading this ya'll!! Sorry I took so long to update. I've been trying to get all my stuff together to move down to the dorm for college.

Also, someone mentioned that I oobied and they were right. In the first chapter, I said that Midshipmen Coley and Vanderbilt were missing. That was wrong. The names are Coley and Mitchell. I'm not sure where Vanderbilt came from. I think it was because I was listening to my mother talk about Vanderbilt hospital in TN. haha, anywho, I changed it so that it makes sense.

Enjoy!

"Hm, it's not getting a signal," Tony told Ziva as he looked at the phone for the third time. "I didn't think these things ever lost signal?"

"They do not. Let me see it," Ziva said, taking the phone from Tony's outstretched hand. "Tony, this phone has been disconnected," she said, opening the back of the phone.

"I just called Gibbs a few hours ago," Tony exclaimed. "How could it have been disconnected?" Ziva continued to look at the phone trying to figure out how to make it work again.

"Tony, get your stuff, we have to leave NOW," Ziva told him, laying the phone on the table and hurrying to grab some of her stuff.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, helping Ziva gather stuff.

"Someone has been tracking you," Ziva explained. "They are probably on their way here, if they are not here right now," she said, looking out the window covertly.

"They out there?" Tony asked, realizing what Ziva was trying to tell him.

"The front is being watched."

"That's the only door," Tony pointed out the obvious.

"Come on," Ziva said, heading towards the back of the small house.

"Zee-vah, I don't think now is the time for a shower," Tony said, half-serious, half-confused, earning a glare from Ziva. Watching Ziva move the bathroom cabinet, Tony realized what was going on, "So this is how you snuck up behind me all the time," he added, crawling into the hole behind Ziva.

"Who was watching us?" Tony asked as the two leaned against the wall of the run-down barn the tunnel came to.

"It does not matter," Ziva sighed, standing up to check their surroundings.

"Zee-vah, if we are going to figure this all out and get back to Washington with our hides, I suggest that you come clean with me and explain exactly what you know that I don't," Tony said in an almost Gibbs-like tone.

Ziva whipped around, glaring at Tony. "Do not start playing senior agent here, Tony. You do not understand what I am dealing with," she growled.

"You don't know that," Tony said. "We are going to have to work together to get through all of this. In order to do that, we are going to have to level the playing field."

Sighing, Ziva gave in. She knew that the two would have to come clean with each other if they wanted to make it back safe, but she was just too stubborn. She had been taking care of herself for the past few months, and it was hard to change back. "When Vance terminated my liaison position, my father blamed me. I had to persuade him that Vance was the problem, and had to agree to three suicide missions to prove to him I was still able to complete missions. My father must have found out more about the plot to blow up a US Navy ship. He only told me that the U.S. and Mossad had teamed up to find the terrorist group. My gut told me that there was something more to it, because he wanted me to update him with what information I found every chance I could. When I told him the names of the two sailors, he did not seem surprised. That is when I decided to call Gibbs. Wait, why are you in Kuwait?" Ziva asked all of the sudden, remembering the question she had been meaning to ask Tony since she ran into him.

**NCIS Office**

Gibbs walked towards the elevator, pulling out his cell phone as he went. It had been over twenty-four hours since Tony had contacted him, and his gut was telling him that something was wrong. "Abs, I want you and McGee to met me in autopsy, ASAP," he said into the phone, never giving the goth a chance to reply before he hung up.

**Autopsy**

"Gibbs, have you heard any news from Tony or Ziva?" Abby asked, hustling through the sliding doors. "I tried to track down the Tony's satellite phone, but it would never connect. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to find his coordinates. Tony would never disobey you like this. It's been over twenty-four hours, Gibbs," she rambled on.

"There is something on my phone from Tony, but when I tried to answer it, there was no one calling," Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, it's a text!" Abby said. "I explained how to use those when you got this phone last year," she added, grabbing the phone. "Really Gibbs, you need to get in the 21st century."

"What's it say, Abby?" Gibbs asked, ignoring what she said.

"'Z's cover's been blown. We are on the run. Coley is terrorist n LVs stepson. Phone is bugged. Will call when safe,'" Abby read. "Who is LV?" she asked.

"Vance," Gibbs said, the puzzle pieces coming together. "I want you to find everything you can about Midshipman Coley. Where he was born, where he lived, went to school, and I want it now. The longer we wait, the longer DiNozzo and David are on the run," Gibbs barked and sent the group scattering. True, he had a team that could help, but he did not trust most of them. Agent Lee was the only one that had been around Gibbs before, so the other two were pushing Gibbs' patience to the limits. "Duck, how am I supposed to prove that Vance is a lying son of a bitch when I can't even admit that I have the documents that show it?" he asked when Abby and McGee had left the room.

"Tony and Ziva know what to do. You trained them well. Just continue to investigate the case that Director Vance assigned you, and I'm sure you will find a connection," Ducky assured his friend.

**Kuwait**

"Like I said before, Vance sent Gibbs to the boat to investigate and George did not want to get involved. Gibbs sent me here to find out what I could about the two sailors and to find out what I could about you," Tony explained for the second time.

"I told Abby not to let you leave the ship," Ziva groaned. "That way you would be out of danger."

"Well, sweetcheeks, I'm already here, so there's nothing you can do about it," Tony said, smirking. "Besides, someone has to watch your six."

"See anything you like?"

"Well, yeah," Tony answered as if that was a stupid question and Ziva laughed.

"Vance had this planned all along. He knew that his step-son and George was on the Reagan when he transferred you there. Then when Coley and Mitchell went UA, George did little to investigate it, leading to Vance ordering Gibbs to go to the ship. He knew that Gibbs would send you to Kuwait to investigate," Ziva pieced together.

"Making you and I conveniently find each other," Tony added. "That way they had a better chance of finding the both of us and killing us."

"We have to find Mitchell and get out of this place," Ziva said.

"How do you plan on doing that? He is probably either dead by now or locked up in some underground room where we'll never find him."

"I know where Ahmed's group was staying at. I am sure that they are still there."

"Do you have any weapons? Wait, stupid question, let me rephrase. Do you have any weapons that I can use? I left mine on the ship," Tony asked.

"Here," Ziva said, pulling out a pistol and a couple extra clips from somewhere Tony did not think they could be.

"You're going to have to show me where you hide all that stuff one of these days," Tony remarked suggestively.

"You wish, my hairy little butt," Ziva replied, smirking.

"Ready to play Mr. and Mrs. Smith?" Tony asked, reaching for the door handle.

"As ready as ever."


	5. Mr and mrs smith

Here's the next chapter for ya'll. I hope you enjoy it!

The walk to Ahmed's headquarters was not all that far away. In fact it was only a few miles from where the two had emerged from the tunnel.

"How do you plan on getting into this building without getting caught? There's enough guards around here to protect the whole Mexican/American border," Tony noted.

"There is an unguarded cellar door on the far side. We just have to pick the lock," Ziva whispered back. "Ready?" she asked. This was going to be a tough task for the two, but with any luck they would survive. She was determined to tell Tony what she had wanted to say for the past two years, and decided that if they made it out alive she would tell him.

The two quietly made their way towards the cellar door. Ziva made easy work of the lock on the door, and they silently slipped through the door. From the cellar, the two could hear men talking above them.

"What do you mean they got away? I told you to blow the house as soon as you arrived," the two heard one man yell.

"They were not in the house when we arrived," the other man answered. "It looked like they had left in a hurry."

"Because you took forever to get there, and they were able to escape. If they make it out of this country alive, I will personally make you pay for your negligence," the man bellowed. "I want them found, and I want them brought back here."

"That's Midshipman Coley," Tony breathed into Ziva's ear as the two peaked through a crack in the floor.

"He is the leader of the cell, not Ahmed," Ziva replied.

"We have to find Mitchell," Tony said, turning to face Ziva. She signaled him to follow her and walked through the basement to the other side.

After finding a few empty rooms, the two came upon a locked door. Ziva picked the lock and the two found Midshipman Mitchell tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

"Midshipman Mitchell?" Tony asked, walking into the room.

"Who are you?" Mitchell asked.

"NCIS, we here to get you out of here," Tony said, as Ziva cut the ropes.

"Wait, you're the girl that guy was with," Mitchell said, looking at Ziva with wide, scared eyes.

"I was undercover," Ziva explained, not looking at Tony. She did not want to explain the exact role she played in her mission.

"Do you know anything about what Coley has planned?" Tony asked, giving the sailor a help up.

"He said that he was going to blow up the ship and he said his step-father was working on gaining power in whatever he works at," Mitchell said, causing Tony and Ziva to look at each other with knowing looks.

"Can you hold a gun?" Tony asked the weak man who nodded. Ziva pulled out a pistol and handed it to the man.

"Stay here and wait for us to come back," Ziva ordered. "If anyone comes through that door that is not us, shoot them," she said, slipping back out into the hallway with Tony right behind.

"Zee-vah, where you going?" Tony whispered loudly as Ziva walked towards the stairs.

"I'm going to end this, Tony," she told him.

"I'm on your six," Tony said, walking up beside her. "Don't do anything Gibbs wouldn't do," he whispered into her ear. Ziva turned her face towards Tony and smirked.

On Ziva's silent count of three, the two snuck up the stairs. From Tony's position in the hallway, he counted three men standing in the north side of the room. Ziva counted two more on the other side, making the total five in the room. Looking at each other, the two had a whole conversation with just their eyes and prepared to infiltrate the room.

Taking a deep breath, Ziva opened the door and Tony stormed into the room. The two had shot three before the others realized what was going on and began returning fire. Ziva jumped behind a desk, and saw Tony dodge behind a chair out of the corner of her eye.

"Soon, however, the shooting stopped. Ziva could not see Tony from where she was, and the still silence was starting to worry her.

"Did you really think the two of you could barge into my house and shoot all of my people?" Midshipman Coley laughed wickedly. "My guards have you surrounded, there's no way you will be able to get out alive. So, you might as well give up right now."

"Why are you betraying your country?" Tony asked and Ziva sighed in relief. Hearing him talk told Ziva that he was alive.

"I have no country," Coley said as guards stormed into the room and Ziva and Tony made their way down the stairs.

"I'm on my last clip," Tony said, panting sitting against the wall.

"Me too," Ziva replied quietly, sitting next to Tony.

"Any ideas?" Tony asked, locking Ziva's eyes.

"Nope," Ziva admitted.

"What's going on?" Mitchell asked from the doorway of his cell.

"We're trapped," Tony told the sailor.

"Why can't we leave the way you came in?" Mitchell asked, worry evident on his face.

"They have all of the entrances blocked," Ziva said. "You still have your gun?" she asked and the sailor nodded. "Get ready to use it," she whispered, crouching in the blind spot of the stairway when they heard noise at the top.

"Time to play Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Tony sighed, standing behind Ziva as Midshipman Mitchell took position on the other side of the doorway.

"What?" Ziva asked Tony, confused at his movie reference.

"I'll show you the movie when we get home," Tony whispered back just as the doorway at the top of the stairs opened.

**NCIS**

"Agent Gibbs, my office," Director Vance called from the boardwalk.

"Yes?" Gibbs asked, walking into the director's office and shutting the door.

"I just received intel that Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell were found murdered, the suspects seen fleeing the area the bodies were found. Mossad now has a warrant out for the arrest of Ziva David and Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," Vance told the Marine.

"And what makes them believe that they were involved?" Gibbs asked, knowing something was not right.

"Why would Mossad have reason to lie?" Vance asked.

"David and DiNozzo have not talked in six months. How would they have been able to find each other and plan this?"Gibbs asked.

"Agent Vanderholt has begun an investigation on board the USS Ronald Reagan and discovered evidence of the two contacting each other on a regular basis," Vance explained, handing Gibbs a case folder. "If either of these two contacts you, I want you to report to me immediately. Understood?"

"Yep," Gibbs said, leaving the room.

"Gibbs, I found something," Abby squealed, spotting him walk down the stairs.

"Abs, McGee, my office, NOW!" Gibbs said, walking straight past the bullpen and straight into the elevator.

"What's wrong?" Abby asked when Gibbs pulled the elevator's emergency switch.

"Mossad has put out a warrant for Ziva and Tony. Vance says that Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell were found murdered and witnesses report seeing the two fleeing the scene," Gibbs explained to the young couple.

"What? Why would they do something like that? I thought Ziva was still working with Mossad, so why would they want her dead?" Abby asked. "Gibbs, you have to find them and bring them back here," Abby rambled, grabbing tightly McGee's sleeve.

"Abs, what did you find out?" Gibbs asked, remembering her saying she had found something.

"Tony's phone was rewired. Someone was tracking him after he left the boat," Abby explained.

"Could you track it down?" Gibbs asked the two.

"We tracked them to a house on the outskirts of Kuwait City," McGee explained.

"Book a plane," Gibbs said, turning the elevator back on.

"What about Director Vance?" McGee hesitated.

"Don't worry about him," Gibbs said. "I've got him covered. Just print out the information you found about Midshipman Coley and let me have it," he added, leaving the elevator.

Please review! The more reviews the faster I'll update!! Thanks again for reading.


	6. Escaping

Here is another chapter for ya'll! Hope you enjoy it!

Tony, Ziva, and Midshipman Mitchell held their breath as they heard footsteps down the stairs. They prepared for the oncoming fight.

However, who they saw walk down the stairs was not who Ziva expected. "Aba, what are you doing here?" she asked quietly in Hebrew.

"Finishing your job for you," Deputy Director David answered.

"You never trusted me, did you?" Ziva fumed. "You sent me out here just to be killed and had someone else investigating the whole time."

"Do you not blame me? You are not the same assassin that you were before," David told his daughter.

"But I am your only surviving child. That should have counted for something," Ziva shot back.

"I have no surviving children. All of mine are dead," David said, determinedly. "My daughter died in the United States."

"Aba, I am the same woman I was when you assigned me to go to Washington D.C. as Ari's control agent. In fact, NCIS helped me become a better agent."

"Ziva?" Tony asked from behind her. He had no idea who it was that Ziva was talking to so adamantly. He sensed that it was not someone who was not a threat, but Tony still did not trust the man.

"Sorry, Tony. This is my father," Ziva explained in English. "He brought in a team and cleared out the compound."

"You must be her husband," David said void of emotion.

"Nope. Never been married, and don't plan on it anytime soon," Tony said.

"Come, we must get you out of here before there are any more problems," Director David said, turning to walk back up the stairs. "Follow my lead and do not talk to anyone," he ordered.

Walking through the building, Tony and Ziva helped Mitchell walk and looked at the scene around. There were bodies lying dead in every room and Mossad agents walking around cleaning the place up. If anyone noticed the four walking through, they never flinched.

"Take this car, and drive to the U.S. air base. You'll be able to fly back to the States," Deputy Director David told the three.

"Why are you doing this, Aba?" Ziva asked in Hebrew.

"You finished three missions. You belong to NCIS now," David replied to his daughter. "Call me if you ever need anything."

"Thank you, Aba," Ziva said, seeing the true emotion for the first time in her father's eyes. "Tony, you are bleeding," she exclaimed, spotting the blood staining his t-shirt.

"It's nothing. A bullet just skimmed my side," Tony shrugged off her concern as he helped Midshipman Mitchell into the car Deputy Director David had given them.

"At least let me bandage it," Ziva insisted.

"Let's get on the plane first," Tony told the Israeli. "The sooner we are in the United States the better."

Ziva was slightly shocked when Tony walked to the passenger side of the car and never said a thing about her driving. Thirty minutes of driving, Ziva realized how quiet the car was, and looked over to find Tony sound asleep. '_He must really be tired,' _she thought to herself, smiling.

Two hours later, Ziva pulled up to the air base, flashing her NCIS badge and id, she was escorted in by the front security.

"Tony wake up," she said, shaking the young Italian.

"What?" he asked, jumping up, grimacing at the pain in his side.

"Something does not feel right."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, staring at her.

"The guards let us in way to easily, and they told me to drive to the building on the left.

"That's away from the rest of the base though," Tony stated.

"I know, that is why I do not think we are safe."

"Park the car in that alley way there and we will walk over to the commanding officer's office," Tony told her.

Ziva parked the car just as Tony had told her to, and the three made their way as stealthily as they could towards the office.

"Freeze!" Tony heard from behind the group as they crouched behind a pile of wood.

"Shit," Tony whispered, holding his hands in the air.

"Are you Tommy and Lisa DiNardo?" the man asked.

"Ishmael," Ziva said, recognizing the man.

"Come this way quickly," Ishmael said, ushering the three to follow him. "There is a traitor in Mossad that your father has not found yet. They are trying to kill you," he hurriedly explained.

"That's why Aba let us leave so easily. He used us as bait," Ziva said, furiously.

"He had no chance. They were threatening to kill him as well," Ishmael explained.

"How do we know we trust you?" Tony spoke up.

"Because I have promised to protect Ziva from any harm," Ishmael answered, looking at Ziva with a look that Tony immediately did not agree with.

"You fulfilled that promise long ago, Ishmael," Ziva replied, rolling her eyes and smiling slightly.

"When are we flying out of here?" Tony asked grumpily.

"What is wrong, Tony?" Ziva asked, not liking the change in Tony's attitude.

"I'm ready to be back in the U.S. where it is safe, and I don't have very many people shooting at me," Tony sighed, trying not to show the true pain that he was feeling.

"We have to get that wound cleaned up," Ziva said, walking towards Tony. "Ishmael, do you know where we can go?" she asked.

"This way," he said, heading towards the hangar.

"Sit down," Ziva told Tony gently as they hid in a small room just off the large hangar.

"I'm fine, Zee-vah," Tony told her, but she insisted.

"Take your shirt off," she told him and he looked up at her with a bemused smile on his face.

"If you just wanted to get my clothes off, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to get me shot," he teased, and Ziva glared gently at him.

"Tony, this was not just a graze," Ziva let out a gasp. "The bullet went into your side. How are you still walking around?" she asked worriedly.

"Adrenaline?" Tony asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"You are not going to be able to fly all the way to D.C. like that, Agent DiNozzo," Ishmael told him. "We will have to fly you to the nearest ship and have their doctors stabilize that wound."

"The closest ship is the Reagan," Tony said, looking at Ziva who understood what he was telling her with his eyes.

"Tony will be in danger if he goes back to that boat," Ziva told Ishamel, as she tried her best to clean the wound on Tony's side without hurting him too much.

"He will be in more trouble if he does not get treatment soon. Besides, soon the threat on the ship will be detained, and you will no longer be in danger," Ishmael told the two agents.

"Tony, we need to get you help. You are losing way too much blood," Ziva told the man she had been partners with for three years.

"He goes with us," Tony said, giving in. "That way we have an extra hand if we need to watch fireworks," he explained.

"Deal," Ishmael and Ziva said, simultaneously.

**In the Airplane**

"Tony, drink this," Ziva said, holding out a water bottle for him to drink. She was getting more worried about him the more time went by. His face was getting more and more pale.

"So, Zee-vah, exactly how well do you know this Ishmael?" Tony asked, taking a big gulp of the water.

"I've known him since we were teenagers," Ziva explained. "He was in my training class when I first entered Mossad. We were grouped together for exercises and even a couple missions after we became Mossad agents. I saved his life on one of our missions, and he promised to always protect me from anything that might try to hurt me. I told him we were even when he saved Jenny and I in Cairo," Ziva said, taking a drink from her own water bottle.

"I hope Gibbs got your message and understood it," Tony sighed.

"He is Gibbs. He will get us back safe," Ziva assured the man. "You need to rest," she said when Tony leaned his head back.

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"No, you are not. Now lay down. You can use my lap as a pillow if you want," Ziva said, and Tony was too tired to argue anymore and swung around to lie down. He was asleep within minutes, and Ziva sat there for a while watching him sleep.

"How is he doing?" Ishmael asked, walking towards where the two were sitting.

"He has been better," Ziva sighed. "How far out is the Reagan?"

"Two hours. I thought you had rules about falling for your partner," Ishamel said, smiling slightly as he sat down across from the couple.

"I do," Ziva said, absentmindedly combing her fingers through Tony's messed up hair.

"Then why are you married to him?" Ishmael asked. "Is he not your partner at NCIS?"

Sighing, Ziva said, "Tony is not my husband. I do not know who told my father that. Tony and I are just partners, nothing more."

"But you want to be more."

"No, our boss has a rule that does not allow dating your partner."

"Since when has rules stopped you from doing something you thought was right?" Ishmael asked, shaking his head. "You two care for each other, that much is true. Do not waste time and lose the chance you have to be happy," Ishmael told Ziva before walking back towards the front of the airplane where Midshipman Mitchell was sitting.

Ziva leaned back against the wall of the airplane and drifted off to sleep, thinking about what Ishmael said.

**USS Ronald Reagan**

Special Agent George Vanderholt stood on the ship deck watching the plane land that was reported to have Tony DiNozzo on it.

When the plane taxied to a stop, George walked over with a group of medic personnel. When Tony and Ziva walked off the ship together, George walked over to them.

"Special Agent Tony DiNozzo and Officer Ziva David, you are under arrest for the murder of Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell," George said, and the couple looked at each other shocked.

Only a few more chapters to go! Please review!


	7. Dealing with the Leaks

_Here's the next chapter for ya'll. Hope you like it. Only a few more chapters left._

**NCIS**

"Special Agent Gibbs, why is scuttlebutt going around that you knowingly are disobeying my orders to stop the investigation of Midshipmen Coley and Mitchell?" Director Vance yelled angrily at the Marine who seemed unperturbed by the accusation.

"I don't take orders from terrorists," Gibbs told the man, stepping away from the doorway to reveal Agent Fornell.

"Leon Vance, you are under arrest for your part in support terrorism by leaking information to known terrorist groups, and for your part in the murder of former NCIS Director Jennifer Shepherd," Fornell said as two other FBI agents walked up to Vance, handcuffing the stunned man.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Vance tried to act surprised, but failed miserably.

"Because of your greed for power and money, you betrayed this country," Gibbs hissed in the man's face. "You also killed one of the best agents that NCIS has ever had, and if my two agents end up hurt or dead, I will personally come and kick your ass." The man visible shuddered at the threat. "Now, you are going to tell me who issued the warrant for DiNozzo and David, and where the two are right now!" Gibbs barked in his best drill instructor voice.

"Mossad issued the warrant, and by now, your two lovebirds are probably dead," Vance grinned evilly.

"I don't think he is going to play fair, Jethro," Fornell said, starring at the Director.

"Take him," Gibbs told Fornell. "I don't want to ever see him again, cause if I do, I _will_kill him," Gibbs said in a voice that made chills go up the other men's backs.

Fornell nodded at his two agents, who took Vance out of the office and towards the car. "How're you going to find them?" he asked his longtime friend.

"First I'm going to have a chat with Deputy Director David. Father to father," Gibbs mumbled under his breath.

"Good luck, Gibbs," Fornell said honestly.

"Thanks, Tobias," Gibbs said, walking out of the office.

**USS Ronald Reagan**

"Now, why would you think we killed them?" Tony asked, taking as deep of a breath as he could. "Last I heard, you wanted nothing to do with this investigation."

"Mossad has issued a warrant for your arrest, they have witnesses that put you at the crime scene," George explained, reaching for his handcuffs.

"Well you have two problems with that story," Ziva said. "One, Midshipman Mitchell is not dead, and, two, I am Mossad," she explained, Midshipman Mitchell and Ishmael walking up beside her.

"What? They said you were dead," George said, staring wide eyed at Mitchell. "Leon told me that no one made it out alive but you two."

"Leon? As in Leon Vance?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. The man was crumbling and Tony was enjoying every minute of it, especially with Ziva's arm around his waist helping him stand up.

"Arrest them," George ordered the men around him who refused to move. "I said arrest them, NOW!" he yelled at the men.

"I'm afraid they like me better than you, Anti-boss," Tony said, using his secret nickname for George out-loud for the first time. "They tend to like protectors of the United States instead of terrorists," Tony added as one of the men put his handcuffs on a surprised George.

"You will never get away with this!" George yelled after him as the sailors drug him towards the brig.  
"That was fun," Tony said, looking down at Ziva who just shook her head.

"Anti-boss?" she asked simply.

"He's nothing like Boss," Tony said, shrugging and Ziva laughed at him. "Take me to bed, Zee-vah," he said, exhausted.

"Really, Tony, you have to work on your pick-out lines," Ziva said, shaking her head.

"Pick-up lines, Zee-vah. I'll have you know that I have good pick up lines," he defended as they walked to sickbay.

"DiNozzo! Do you not know how to stay out of trouble?" Dr. McCloughlin asked when the couple walked in.

"What can I say, Doc. Trouble finds me wherever I go," Tony replied, leaning more of his strength on Ziva.

"Let's get you laid down," Dr. McCloughlin said and helped Ziva lead Tony to the bed. "What happened to you?"

"Well, Zee-vah decided to play Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and needed a guy," Tony said, laying his head on the pillow and letting out a sigh. "She didn't tell me that her crazy ninja skills weren't going to do the job, so we had to use guns."

"Looks like you have a pretty serious gunshot here. How did you manage to stand for this long?" Dr. McCloughlin asked, surprised at Tony's strength.

"Adrenaline," Ziva explained the same way Tony had to her.

**MTAC**

"Agent Gibbs," Deputy Director David greeted.

"Deputy Director David," Gibbs replied. "May I ask why my best two agents are not wanted for murder?"

"It appears that there was a traitor in our ranks, but that risk has now been destroyed, and there is no longer anything to worry about," David explained. "Your presence has been requested by an agent of mine on the USS Ronald Reagan. I was about to call your director and tell him."

"I'm afraid Director Vance is no longer in charge of NCIS. I am the interim director until one can be found," Gibbs informed, smirking at the memory.

"Good," David said, nodding his head. "I will send Officer David's permanent transfer papers to you in the morning," he said and the two ended the video conference.

**Bullpen**

"McGee, cancel the flight to Kuwait. We no longer need to fly there," Gibbs yelled form the boardwalk. "Instead find a flight to the USS Ronald Reagan."

"But, Boss, what about Tony and Ziva?" McGee asked.

"They're safe," Gibbs said, walking into the director's office and shutting the door. McGee went right to work, calling Abby to tell her the news first.

_Only a few chapters left, all I have to do is figure out exactly how i want to end this._


	8. Hawaii

here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it!

Just gotta say: DID YOU SEE THE BRISTOL WAVE!! That was awesome. I so wish I was there right now!! New Guiness World Record for the longest continuous wave! and it was NASCAR!! GO NASCAR! BRISTOL!!

Okay, here's the story!

Dr. McCloughlin had finished cleaning Tony's wound as best as he could, and had left to report to the Admiral on the man's condition.

"You seem to have made friends on the ship," Ziva said, sitting next to Tony's bed.

"I played a few games of basketball here and there, did a few favors for some of them," Tony said, shrugging. "They're nothing like my friends in Washington though," he admitted. "They know how to take as much as I give," he explained, smiling at Ziva who shook her head, smiling.

"I wish the Admiral would let us call Gibbs and tell him what is going on," Ziva sighed. A few minutes earlier, the two were given strict orders to not leave sickbay, and under no conditions were they to call anyone off ship. Apparently their being on the ship was supposed to be a secret to everyone off the ship, in order to protect the group.

"May I come in?" Ishmael asked, knocking on the frame of the door.

"Sure, man," Tony said, beginning to feel the effects of the pain killers.

"How you feeling?" Ishmael asked, walking closer to the couple.

"Like a piece of Swiss cheese," Tony replied, getting looks from both Israelis.

"Okay?" Ishmael asked, confused at the way Tony was acting.

"You know, the kind of cheese that has holes in it. Like the kind you see on _Tom and Jerry _all the time. Oh! Look on that light, it's dancing," Tony said, looking up at the ceiling.

Ishmael looked at Ziva strangely and Ziva groaned. "Dr. McCloughlin put him on pain killers," she explained.

"I still do not understand," Ishmael said, watching Tony try to reach up and catch the light.

"Pain killers make him go loopy. I have dealt with him before on them, and it was not fun. However, this does wear off in a few minutes," Ziva explained.

"Ishmael, did you know that Zee-vah is a crazy ninja chick?" Tony slurred, looking at the Mossad agent. "She can kick anyone's ass no matter how big they are. In fact, I when she almost kicked that Hulk of a Marine's ass. She's very scary, you know. But, I wouldn't want anyone else protecting my six. Nope, she's the best six protector that I know," Tony said, nodding his head to support his claim.

"Tony, get some rest," Ziva said, not wanting him to say much more. "Ishmael and I are going to go check on Midshipman Mitchell," she said, standing up.

"Toodles," Tony called after them.

"How long does this last?" Ishmael asked as soon as they were out of site.

"A couple hours maybe," Ziva saighed.

"Do you like protecting his six?" Ishmael could not resist asking.

"Ishmael! I am his partner. Partners watch out for each other," Ziva defended.

"Stop making excuses. Sometimes the best partners know everything about each other. Maybe that is what the two of you need to do. You already seem to know a lot about each other, so just go from there," Ishmael advised as they reached Mitchell's room.

"How you doing, Sailor?" Ziva asked, using the phrase she had heard used many times in military movies. '_Dang, I am even talking like Tony now,_' she thought to herself.

"Good now, ma'am. I'm glad to be back on this ship," Mitchell admitted, sitting up in his bed. "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, but why was Mossad involved in this?"

"Midshipman…" Ziva began.

"Chuck," Midshipman Mitchell interjected.

"Chuck, Midshipman Coley was running a terrorist operation that was plotting the bombing of a US naval ship. Mossad had been investigating the cell for a few years now," Ziva explained as much as she could.

"I just can't believe that Joey was bad," Chuck said, shaking his head. "He always acted like the boy next door that never did anything wrong."

"That was part of his cover," Ishmael explained. "He needed to get into the right rank to pull of his plan."

The three sat there for a while talking about the past few days. "They are flying a NCIS agent out here to take you statement and such, so you should rest up," Ziva said, standing up to leave the room. "I am going to go back to Tony's room and keep him company," she told the two.

"Are they an item?" Chuck asked Ishmael when Ziva left the room.

"Not yet," Ishmael said. "Ziva has always been the stubborn type, will not admit to something unless absolutely necessary."

"Well, they are perfect for each other from what I could tell of them the past few hours I was around them. They fought like clockwork," Chuck told the Mossad agent.

**Tony's Room**

"Are you feeling any better?" Ziva asked, walking into the unusually quiet room. Receiving no reply, Ziva walked closer and saw Tony sleeping. Smiling gently, Ziva reached her hand out to move a few stray hairs out of his face. When she touched his forehead, she realized that it was burning. Ziva ran over to the phone, and paged the doctor, before running back to Tony's bedside. "Tony, wake up," she said, shaking him gently, but he never moved.

"What's wrong?" Dr. McCloughlin asked, rushing into the room.

"I came into the room and he was asleep, but his body is on fire," Ziva explained, moving out of the way for the doctor.

"We have to get him to a hospital right," Dr. McCloughlin said gravely, grabbing the phone to call the admiral. "Sir, Agent DiNozzo needs to be medi-vaced ASAP. I believe the bullet is still in his body, and there may be more damage than I was able to determine with what equipment I have." Listening to the admiral for a moment, Dr. McCloughlin paused. "Yes, sir. Thirty minutes," he said, hanging the phone up. "Admiral Boone is getting a plane ready to transport Tony to Pearl Harbor. It is not the closest place, but it is the safest one for him to go to right now," Dr. McCloughlin explained to the Israeli.

"I am going with him," Ziva stated, not giving the doctor any room for argument.

"I figured so," Dr. McCloughlin said, hiding his smile at the emotion he saw in her eyes. "I need to go grab some stuff. I'll be right back," he said, hurrying out of the room.

"Tony, you cannot do this to me," Ziva whispered, grabbing Tony's limp hand. "Stay with me. I cannot lose your for six months, and have you for only a day before you leave me again. I already promised myself that I was never going to be away from you for that long again. It was pure hell," Ziva found herself admitting. "I missed your constant bicker, your pranks on McGee. I even missed your retarded movie quotes," she said, chuckling to herself. She had to admit that she had been watching more movies since she had been transferred back to Israel. That is, when she had time to sit at home and watch movies. "Tony, wake up, please," Ziva said, gently shaking the man.

"Can't a guy sleep," Tony groaned. "What the hell do you want?"

"Do not get all jumpy at me," Ziva shot back, trying to control her temper.

"Snappy, Zee-vah," Tony managed to get out. His throat was dry. "It is hot in here," he said, feeling the sweat pour out of him.

"You have a fever from the wound. The doctor said that the bullet is probably still in you and there may be more damage then he initially thought. They are getting a plane ready to fly you to Pearl Harbor," Ziva explained, grabbing a wet wash cloth to dab on Tony's head to help him cool down a bit.

"Hawaii!" Tony said, perking up at the mention.

"I do not think you will be googling at very many bikinis, Tony," Ziva said, purposefully saying the wrong word.

"I only 'google' at one bikini, I will have you know," Tony told Ziva.

'_The painkillers must still be working_,' Ziva thought. "You are a one woman man now, huh?" she asked, teasingly.

"Right now I am my own man, but," Tony began, but the two were interrupted when Dr. McCloughlin opened the door.

"We need to get your bandage changed, and that wound checked on some more before I can let you get on that plane," the doctor told Tony.

**USS Ronald Reagan Flight Deck**

Gibbs and McGee walked off of their plane and headed to the command center.

"Agent Gibbs, you just missed your two agents," Admiral Boone told the man.

"Excuse me?" Gibbs asked, frustration visible growing. "I thought the orders were for them to stay on the boat until we could arrive to escort them back to Washington."

"It was until Agent DiNozzo needed to be medi-vacd to Pearl Harbor because of his injuries," the admiral explained.

"Tony's hurt?" McGee piped up and the two men looked at him.

"The three who were brought here were involved in a shootout yesterday afternoon. Agent DiNozzo was wounded and in need of the extra medical care. Officer David flew with him. Midshipman Mitchell is down in sickbay with Mossad agent Ishmael Cohen," Admiral Boone explained. "Agent Vanderholt is in the brig awaiting an escort to an onshore prison."

"Thanks, Admiral," Gibbs said, walking out of the room and heading towards sickbay.

"You must be Gibbs," Ishmael said, standing up when the two walked into the room.

"Yep," Gibbs said. "How you doing, Midshipman Mitchell."

"Glad to be back on the ship, sir," Chuck told the agent.

"I bet," Gibbs said, cracking a smile. "I want you to give Agent McGee here your statement. Cohen, come with me," he said, walking out of the door. "I need coffee."

**Mess Hall**

"Mossad find the leak yet?" Gibbs asked, filling a cup up with the coffee.

"Killed when they tried to kill Ziva and Tony at the air base," Ishmael said. "Deputy Director David used the two to track down the guy."

"What was Tony's condition?" Gibbs asked, sitting at one of the tables.

"Shot during the shootout at the terrorist compound. The two went in after Chuck by themselves. I do not know if they were stupid or brave," Ishmael said. "I know Ziva used to take risks, but figured she might have settled down in America."

"I don't think so," Gibbs said. "Those two get into interesting situations."

"You do not know me, but I know you," Ishmael said, leaning back in his chair. "I worked with Jenny and Ziva in Cairo. Jenny talked about you a lot," he explained.

"Small world," Gibbs said. "Tell your director that I expect to have that paperwork filled out and on my desk by the time I get back to Washington," he said, finishing off his coffee and leaving the mess hall.

"McGee, you finished with the statement?" Gibbs asked, walking into the sickbay.

"Just finished, Boss."

"Come on, we are going to Hawaii," Gibbs said, leaving just as fast as he walked in.

Only a couple more chapters to go! Hope you enjoy it, please review!


	9. Waiting

_Here is the next chapter for you! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all of the reviews!_

Ziva sat in the waiting room after pacing the floor for the tenth time. As soon as she and Tony arrived at the hospital, the doctors whisked him to surgery. It had been over three hours, and the wait was getting to Ziva. Mumbling a few words in Hebrew under her breath, Ziva decided to pace some more.

"Pacing the floor only tears the carpet up. It doesn't make the time pass any faster," a voice said from the doorway.

"He has been in surgery for three hours. The wound did not look that bad, Gibbs," Ziva sighed, sitting back down, her head in her hands.

"Drink," Gibbs said, sitting next to the woman and handing her a cup of coffee. "Have the doctors checked you out?"

"Why would they need to check me?" Ziva asked, confused at Gibbs' question.

"You're limping," Gibbs pointed out.

"I am fine," Ziva insisted.

"He will be okay, Ziva," Gibbs whispered. "He never got my permission."

The two sat there for a while before McGee finally made it to the waiting room. Gibbs had told him to contact Ducky and Abby and apprise them of the current events, and it had taken him that long to get Abby to hang up.

"Four hours, Gibbs," Ziva groaned, walking the room's length again. Before Gibbs or McGee could reply, a doctor walked in with green scrubs.

"You here for DiNozzo?" the doctor asked.

"Special Agent Gibbs, how is he," Gibbs said, showing the doctor his id and badge.

"Agent DiNozzo had a lot of blood loss. The bullet went in just under his ribcage on his left side, hitting his spleen. If he had not gotten here when he did, then there would have been more problems than he has right now. We were able to stop the bleeding, but we aren't sure how long it will be before he wakes up," the doctor explained.

"When can we see him?" Ziva asked.

"He's currently in ICU. Only two people are allowed in at a time."

"Thanks, Doctor," Gibbs sighed. "Ziva, you and McGee go in there," he said. "I'll go in later." Ziva nodded, and rushed out of the waiting room. McGee went to follow, but was stopped by Gibbs' hand on his shoulder. "Keep an eye on her. Stay in there for a little, then leave. She needs time alone with him. When you leave, come get me," Gibbs ordered the probie gently.

"Okay, Boss," McGee said, nodding.

**Tony's Room**

Ziva was hesitant to walk into the room and see what Tony looked like, but her need to see him alive overpowered her and she stepped inside. Walking inside, she gasped slightly. Tony looked paler than when she had been forced to leave him four hours ago.

McGee was not sure what he was supposed to do. McGee had not seen Tony this bad since he had the plague three years ago, but he had never seen Ziva so scared. That made the computer genius nervous. These two were who McGee truly looked up to. Sure they teased him, and irritated him, but they got the job done and caught the bad guy.

"I never should have let him go back with me," Ziva whispered, taking Tony's hand in hers.

"Then you would have possibly been killed, and the terrorist group would not have been stopped," McGee told the Israeli. "Besides, once Tony found you, do you really think he was going to let you go?" he asked, not realizing he spoke it out loud until Ziva looked at him. "Listen, I'm going to go and let Gibbs have a chance to come in here, and call Abby to tell her how Tony's doing. She threatened to fly down here with Ducky before Gibbs could calm her down."

"Thanks, McGee," Ziva said sincerely and the man nodded understanding what Ziva was silently saying.

Ziva sat in the chair next to Tony's bed, silently willing Tony to wake up.

**Waiting Room**

"Wait, doctor," Gibbs said when the doctor went to leave the room. "What didn't you tell us?" he asked, knowing with his gut that there was more.

"Mr. DiNozzo lost over half of his blood before we were able to stop the bleeding," the doctor explained to the marine. "We thought we lost him two times on the table, but something kept pulling him back. I do not know if the patient will ever wake up. The next 48 hours are going to be critical, every hour he is alive makes his chances higher."

"He will live," Gibbs said sternly. "He has never gotten my permission, and Ziva would kill him again," Gibbs smirked and the doctor shook his head. He was not quite sure what the man was talking about, but he could tell that this NCIS team was a tight-knit group and that nothing as going to break them apart. Now all he had to do was make sure his patient survived.

_Hope you liked it. I should be able to get the next chapter written soon, but I'm not sure. I'm starting college again and it's hectic. But I promise I will finish this story so ya'll get a happy ending!_


	10. Opening up and letting go

_Sorry I took so long to update! Thanks for reading and reviewing!! Here's the final chapter, I hope you enjoy it!!_

For once Tony could feel nothing. He just felt at peace in this darkness surrounding him. He knew the bliss would not last forever, but he wanted to enjoy the painlessness a while longer.

"Tony," Tony heard quietly from in front of him. "Why must you always be so stubborn?" he heard, the voice getting louder.

"I was never the stubborn one, Kate," Tony spoke up. "You were the tight-knit one, always afraid of letting loose."

"At least I never lied to those I loved," Kate said, finally appearing in front of Tony.

"I'm confused. What's that got to do with anything?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't you be telling me that it's not my time or something?"

"I know you took that bullet to protect Ziva," Kate explained.

"You took the bullet for Gibbs. Does that mean you love him?" Tony countered.

"That was my job," Kate pointed out. "He knew what I did. You took the bullet and Ziva never knew. Gibbs and I were never as close as you and Ziva are."

"Ziva is my partner. Just like you were."

"Tony, think back to all the times the team partnered up. Who went with whom?"

"We never had a regular pairing, if anything Gibbs always took you," Tony said.

"And how does the team work now?" Kate asked, and Tony flashed through all the things the team had gone to.

"Zee-vah and I," Tony whispered. "But that's only because we work well together. Besides she goes to Gibbs when she is in trouble, not me," Tony pointed out, thinking back to when Ziva was being framed.

"Tony! Are you that naïve?" Kate asked, sighing loudly. "Ziva called Gibbs because she did not want to put _you_ and the team in danger. Mossad was already trying to say the two of you were sleeping around."

"What?! Why would they think that?"

"Your movie and piano night," Kate explained. "Listen, Tony, I don't have much more time. I need you to listen to me. You still have a chance to tell Ziva how you truly feel. I never got that chance, and not he will never know," Kate explained a hint of regret in her voice. "I have seen the way the two of you are scared around each other, and it's painstakingly obvious how you feel. Don't make the same mistake I did," Kate finished.

"Gibbs?" Tony asked and Kate smiled gently. "Do me a favor and don't tell Ziva what I did. She'd never forgive me," Tony added.

"You never worried about upsetting me?"

"Your badass kickboxing hasn't got a thing to Ziva killing me eighteen different ways with a paperclip," Tony shuddered at the thought.

**In the Hospital** **Room**

Ziva sat at the edge of Tony's bed watching him. He seemed to be having a dream of some sort. She was staring at him intently when Gibbs walked in.

"Why does he keep saying Kate?" Ziva asked her boss. "He has done it ever since McGee left. He even said something about love. Was he dating Agent Todd?" Ziva asked.

"No, Ziva. I can honestly say that those two were never that close. It was more like watching a brother and sister fight constantly," Gibbs smirked, recalling all the times they had had.

"None of this is making sense. Why will he not wake up?" Ziva asked exasperatedly.

Gibbs sighed. He did not want to have to tell the Israeli that there was a chance Tony would never awake. However, from the looks of things, Tony seemed to be trying to wake up. He was not uttering Kate's name as frequent, but was saying something else neither could make out.

**Tony**

"No, Kate. Don't leave again. How am I supposed to tell her? Last time I let myself admit to loving someone, it blew up in my face, literally," Tony said.

"You will find a way," Kate said, disappearing back into the darkness.

"Kate! Don't leave! Ziva's not like other women. She'll kill. She's a crazy ninja chick," Tony called.

**In the Hospital Room**

Ziva and Gibbs both jumped when they heard Tony say, "She'll kill…Crazy ninja chick." Ziva ran out of the room.

Ziva could not believe what she heard. Tony was afraid of her, that much was clear.

Tony's eyes opened wide and met Gibbs' who just sat there. "Where's Ziva?" Tony asked.

"Do you remember any dream or something you might have had about Kate just now?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, that's why I need to see Ziva, Boss. Where is she?" Tony asked, beginning to panic. "Please tell me she didn't get sent back to Israel!"

"No, she's staying at NCIS. You were talking in your sleep. Right before you woke up, you said she'd kill and was a crazy ninja chick. Do you always have to screw stuff up, DiNozzo? That woman has been worried sick about you the whole time I've been here," Gibbs told the young man furiously.

"Oh no! Boss, you've got it all wrong! I wasn't talking about being afraid of her. Well, I am afraid of her, but who isn't?" Tony stumbled over his words. "Kate told me she never had the chance to tell the man she loves that she loved him," Tony explained, noticing a flash of emotion in the marine's eyes. "She told me that I got another chance, and not to screw this one up. I was trying to get Kate to see that Ziva isn't the same as any other woman I've ever known. I said she was a crazy ninja chick who could kill me with a paperclip if I even looked at her wrong. How am I supposed to tell her that I love her? What if she doesn't feel the same way? After all, Boss, you did not see the way she and Ishmael acted around each other," Tony said dejectedly.

"DiNozzo, you listen to me. I'm only going to say this once," Gibbs said, leaning closer to the injured man. "Ziva and Ishmael are friends who've known each other all their lives. Ziva saved him from being killed, and Ishmael has been indebted to her ever since. He helped the two of you because of that. He told me how Ziva never left your side after you were shot. Ziva loves you, but her Mossad training is telling her to push away. If you do not open the door and let her in, you may lose her forever. If you do that, then I will personally kick your ass and make you like it," Gibbs hissed at the younger agent who gulped. "Now, while you think about that, I'm going to find her before she kills someone," Gibbs said.

"Check the vending machines," Tony suggested. "I've always found her beating up the vending machines at the hospitals."

Sure enough, Gibbs could hear Ziva beating the vending machines before he even turned the corner.

"Taking it out on inanimate objects never helps," Gibbs said, causing Ziva to turn around and face him. "He woke up," Gibbs told her, trying to judge how she felt.

"Good, you can tell him that I am glad he is going to be okay," Ziva said, going as to leave.

"Where you going?"

"I am going back to Israel," Ziva said, not reaching Gibbs' eyes.

"Your father sent papers over to NCIS, permanently assigning you to NCIS. The director has already filed them," Gibbs explained.

"Director Vance made it clear he no longer wanted me working there," Ziva said. "Why would he sign the papers?"

"Vance is no longer the Director, I am," Gibbs said, and this time Ziva met Gibbs' eyes. "I think you need to listen to what Tony has to say. There's more to it than what you heard."

"Gibbs, he made it perfectly clear that he was scared of me," Ziva said, not giving in.

"Do you always believe what someone says in their sleep after they have just gone through hell?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ziva, listen to me. Give Tony a chance. Show him the real you. Do not hide behind your Mossad training. Tony has had a bad few experiences with women, so he is scare to commit."

"What about the rule?"

"What rule? Never date a co-worker? That was never really a rule, more like a guideline," Gibbs said.

"I saw that movie!" Ziva exclaimed. "And a guy named Gibbs says it! Dang, I have been around Tony, too much," she sighed.

"Go!" Gibbs barked before chuckling at the young woman.

Tony lay in his hospital bed contemplating everything Kate and Gibbs had told him. He already screwed up before he even had the chance to tell Ziva how he felt.

The doctor had already been in and was amazed at Tony's fast progress. He had not expected tony to even be awake, let alone talking to everyone.

"Do you always talk in your sleep?" Ziva asked from the doorway.

"Only when I'm doped on pain killers, anesthetic, and half-dead," Tony joked back. "That cocktail is not fun. Having conversations with your dead partner who knows what you haven't told anyone else is not fun," Tony said, laying his head on his pillow.

"What did she know?" Ziva asked.

Tony sighed; there was so much he could say right now. "Only that I treat my new partner better than I did her, and that I was in love with my partner even though she is a crazy ninja chick who could kill me with anything," Tony rambled through. "Oh, and that she was in love with my boss and I never needed to know that. Other than that, she didn't really say much."

Ziva sat looking at Tony stunned. Had he really just said that he loved her? "So, was it all true?" Ziva asked.

"Well, she forgot that McGoogle was my partner, too. So, I'm not sure about the love part. I was never crazy about _Brokeback Mountain_. And, I'm not sure about the fact that I'm better to my new partner that I was to her. I treated her like the sister I never had."

"And what am I?"

"Definitely not my sister," Tony said and Ziva looked away. "I'm not into incest that much either," Tony added, causing Ziva to look back at him. "I love you, Zee-vah. I refused to realize it until we were forced to leave NCIS. Six months on a ship was hell, but six months of not seeing you, not knowing if you were safe, was the worst thing I've ever had to do," Tony admitted. His whole demeanor had changed, and it amazed Ziva that Tony could be this way. "Please tell me you feel the same and aren't going to kill me. I feel bad enough right now," Tony hesitated.

"Do you need me to call the nurse?" Ziva asked, worriedly.

"No, no pain killers please," Tony said. "I want to be sure in case I have to scream," Tony said. Ziva had still not replied on his confession.

"Tony, I am not like you," Ziva began. "All my life I have been trained to hide my emotions and not let them affect my judgment. I have been fighting this ever since I came to the U.S. The more I got to know the team, the more I found myself opening up. I never imagined I would end up falling in love with my partner," Ziva admitted.

"I would kiss you right now if I could move," Tony whispered, his eyes never leaving Ziva's.

"I'm sure I can compromise," Ziva said, sitting on the edge of Tony's bed. Leaning over him, Ziva touched her lips to Tony's gently. It had been over two years since their undercover mission, but neither had forgotten it. But, this kiss was better than two years ago. This kiss relayed all the couple's emotions, proving the words they had just spoken to one another.

"If I see any of this on the job, I will fire the two of you before you can breathe," Gibbs said, standing in the doorway.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other grinning goofily. McGee stood behind Gibbs mentally taking notes for his next novel.

**Epilogue**

Life settled down for the team after that. Tony was transferred to Bethesda and was released two weeks later. Under Gibbs' orders, Tony was forced to stay at Ziva's for the next few weeks until he was fully on his feet again.

A month after all the chaos had settled down, SecNav announced the person taking over the Director position: Katherine Jones. Jones was promoted to Assistant Director when Vance took over the top spot. Gibbs had worked with her on previous cases. She reminded him a lot of Jenny.

Abby was ecstatic when she found out about Tony and Ziva. She walked around the building collecting the money she won on the bet. Apparently everyone had been betting on when the two would get together. Each person picked two months and two days, and Abby was the only one who picked the right combination.

_Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think!_


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